Splintered (Mike Campbell Series Book 1)

by Rosemary Wilson

  Max had a perplexed look on his face as he asked Office Snyder, “Are you trying to tell us that Peter Baker was actually the innocent party in these assaults?”

  “Not trying, I’m stating. Arlene Baker is a manipulative, controlling woman. When things didn’t go her way, she retaliated. She wanted full custody of their son and she didn’t want Peter to even see his son. She methodically built her case for the court to show Peter as an unfit father.”

  “In other words, the abusive one was Mrs. Baker?”

  “Yes. If our killer is after abusive husbands, he made a big mistake on this one.”

  The detectives and Officer Simonson were floored. It seemed that whoever was responsible for the murder rampage in Lancaster County had picked the wrong victim this time.

  “We have to figure out how he’s identifying his victims” Mike said. “The first time a 911 call was made in the Flanders case was the night Sandy was stabbed. Hank, tell everyone about the previous 911 call on the McGinleys.”

  “I checked our records and shortly after Dave Flanders was killed, a neighbor called the police about a loud fight at the McGinley home. When the officer got there, Carol had a black eye and was crying. The children were nowhere to be seen. Carol refused to file charges. Craig was standing behind her looking, and this is the reporting officer’s remark, ‘like a choir boy who had just gotten caught singing off key’.”

  “Well, that’s something we hadn’t put together before this”, Max stated. “There had been previous 911 calls before each of these murders. Now all we have to do is figure out how our perpetrator found out about them.”

  “If it’s not connected to the 911 call center, that could be easier said than done”, Mike sighed. “This case has more downs than ups. Every time we think we have a good lead it seems to vanish into thin air.”

  With a new member added to their team, the four police officials agreed to follow up on their respective cases and meet again on Monday to share any new information.

  Mike dejectedly walked back to his desk. Three murders in less than a month, with no indication they would stop anytime soon. Along with the frustration of the case, he still had not figured out a way to approach Max about the information he had gathered on the internet. Maybe a weekend of hard work and heavy manual labor on his kitchen would help put things in perspective.

  CHAPTER 55

  Sarah Flanders pulled into the driveway she had used for over 20 years. She wouldn’t pull her car into the garage this time because she had left the remote control on the kitchen counter when she left after Dave’s memorial service. She had never liked this house. It was Jason who wanted it and it was built to his specifications. She hadn’t even been consulted about the kitchen because Jason just went ahead and ordered everything top-of-the-line. Sarah loved cooking, but with all the stainless steel and granite, it felt more like a commercial kitchen than one where meals were made for a family.

  She had really loved their first house - a three-bedroom rancher. It was cozy and had more than enough space for their small family. After making his first million though, Jason wanted people to know just how successful he had become, so he had built this monstrosity which certainly screamed money.

  Sarah walked to the front door and rang the bell. Even if she had a key she would have rung the bell. She was a bit apprehensive about seeing Jason again. He had already left for work on the day she packed her things and moved to her sister’s. He had not tried to console her after the detectives left that horrible night when they told her Dave was dead. He had been cold and seemingly uncaring. She knew then she couldn’t spend the rest of her life with him.

  She pulled herself back into the present when the door opened and Jason stood there. “What do you want Sarah? Did you forget something?”

  “Hello Jason. I didn’t forget anything. I need to talk to you. May I come in?”

  “If you must. You’ve interrupted my work, so you’ll have to make it quick. Follow me to my office.”

  Sarah walked down the familiar hall and more memories assailed her. Images of Dave seemed to jump at her from all directions - the family room, where he loved to watch movies and play his video games; the kitchen, where he would sit on a stool and watch her make his favorite chocolate chip cookies. The only room that held no good memories was the one she was heading for now – Jason’s office.

  She walked in and sat in the same chair she had been in when the detectives gave them the devastating news of Dave’s death. Jason walked behind his desk and gave her one of his coldest stares.

  “I don’t know why you’re here Sarah. Our lawyers can take care of any communications when it comes to the dissolution of our marriage.”

  “It’s not about the divorce, Jason. I had a call from Tom Wyatt yesterday. He told me you fired him because he refused to file a suit for you.”

  “How dare he call you” Jason yelled. “I talked to him as a client. He should have kept what was discussed confidential.” He began to reach for the phone, then changed his mind. “I fired him because he refused to do what I told him to do.”

  “Jason, you can’t ask him to file a suit that has absolutely no basis in fact.”

  “Anything I discussed with him was privileged information between a lawyer and client.”

  “He called me as your friend, not your lawyer. He didn’t divulge any privileged information when he talked to me. He was worried you were trying to do something that would damage your businesses and reputation. Why Sandy? She was a victim too.”

  “Because she is responsible for Dave’s death, and she needs to pay for it.”

  “She was a victim of Dave’s anger and she refused to prosecute him for attacking her.”

  “She knew if she did her sordid life would be part of the trial.”

  “What sordid life?”

  “She’d been having affairs behind Dave’s back for years. Why do you think they didn’t have children? It would have slowed her down.”

  “Do you hear yourself, Jason? That is the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said. Sandy loved Dave and tried desperately to make that marriage work. It was Dave who didn’t want children.”

  “Sarah, I will not hear any lies about my son.”

  “And I won’t tell you any. Dave came to me last year and was upset because Sandy kept bugging him about starting a family. Do you know what he told me, Jason? He didn’t want children because he didn’t want to turn out to be a father like you.” Sarah didn’t want to cry, but was dangerously close. Her voice quivered as she said, “He told me he didn’t want to lose Sandy, but he had never told her he had a vasectomy to make sure there would be no accidents. He knew that information would probably end his marriage. He knew his company was losing business and eventually they would have to make cuts. His position was one they could easily do without. He was a truly tormented man, Jason.”

  “You were always fanciful when it came to him Sarah. If you had been stricter…”

  “Stop right there, Jason. One overbearing parent was enough. Our son had to know he was loved. He had to have a break from the constant demands you had for perfection.”

  “You babied him all those years, Sarah. That’s why he couldn’t take control of his life or his wife.”

  “No, Jason, I loved him. I listened to him when he cried and told me he didn’t know what to do to please you. He thought you didn’t love him. I tried to love him enough for both of us, but he needed a father.

  “I was happy when he married Sandy and got out of this house. She is a good woman and I hoped her love would fill the void Dave had where his father’s love should have been. I didn’t realize his marriage would only be a temporary reprieve from your oppressive control.”

  Jason was not used to his wife speaking to him this way. He pounded his fist on the desk and practically yelled, “I’ve had enough of this, Sarah. Sandy is responsible for Dave’s death, not me, and I intend to sue her for wrongful death.”

  Sarah jumped when Jason hit t
he desk because she had never seen him behave in such a way. She took a deep breath and as calmly as she could addressed the man she had lived with all of her adult life. “Jason, we can handle this two ways. You can forget about suing Sandy and any other fantasy you may have about her and her supposed affairs. You don’t seem to believe she was always faithful to Dave, but she was.

  “If you find an attorney who will file this suit, then I will be forced to meet with my divorce attorney and change my demands. I will take half of everything you own or have squirreled away in your hidden bank accounts.”

  When she said this, Jason’s eyebrows raised. He wasn’t aware she knew anything about his business and personal finances.

  “You will get what I let you have, Sarah. You left me. The court will see it my way.”

  “We have no pre-nup, Jason. In addition to the information on your finances, I have proof of your various infidelities.”

  “You’re talking nonsense, Sarah. I have never been unfaithful to you.”

  “In your mind maybe. I know sex means about as much to you as eating your next meal. That won’t matter when I parade your various liaisons before the court.”

  “I don’t like being threatened”, Jason snarled.

  Sarah knew she held the upper hand. Jason, who presented himself as a tough, but fair businessman, would not want people to know his personal life was full of deceit. She smiled as she said, “But this isn’t a threat, Jason. This is a promise. Drop the idea of suing Sandy and stay out of her life and our divorce will be simple and uncontested. Continue to harass her with your made-up stories and I will make you suffer in the only way I can – through your pocketbook and your reputation. After all, how would it look for you to sue your daughter-in-law for infidelity when you’ve been unfaithful to your marriage vows most of our married life?”

  Sarah knew she had made her point. It was the first time she had ever seen him close to losing control. Before he could unleash his pent-up anger, she got up from the chair and smiled at him. “Good night, Jason. I hope you decide to do the right thing - for once.”

  As she left the room, she heard him pound his fist on his desk before he whisked everything in front of him onto the floor. For the first time in her life with Jason Flanders, she had beaten him at his own game. She smiled as she left this cold and lifeless house and headed back to her sister’s.

  *****

  Jason did not have a smile on his face. He was livid. How had she known about his finances? How had she known about his mistresses? For the first time since he had known her, Jason had a grudging respect for Sarah. He would have to give this new development a great deal of thought.

  CHAPTER 56

  Mike woke early on Saturday. Yesterday he was frustrated when he got home from work and took it out on his lawn. He didn’t remember ever getting the grass cut so quickly. He had put one of his mom’s ‘in a pinch’ meals into the microwave before he showered. He took his dinner into the living room and logged onto Netflix to watch the latest “Hangover” movie.

  He felt much better after dinner and a show, debated about calling Sandy and decided he would wait and not give Jason any ammunition, even if it was blanks. He did his wash as he finished reading the thriller he had started last week. He watched the late news and then went to bed expecting to toss and turn. When his head hit the pillow he was out like a light and the next thing he knew it was 6:30 a.m.

  After breakfast he put on his ‘working’ music and began the task of removing the upper cabinets he had already emptied and put them in his garage as they came down. He was going to ask Joe if he could borrow his truck to take them to the Habitat for Humanity store. By noon, he had all the upper cabinets as well as the countertops removed. He had worked up quite a sweat and was ready for lunch. Looking out the window he saw Joe’s truck in Carl and Rose’s driveway. He decided to go next door and see if anybody wanted to help him eat a pizza.

  Rose let Mike in and told him his friend was in the kitchen ‘tearing it apart’. Mike greeted Joe and admired the work his friend had accomplished.

  “You sure are good at what you do”, Mike greeted his friend.

  “People don’t pay me by the hour. I’ve got to get the job done as quickly as I can in order to make a profit.”

  “I just spent the morning taking down my upper cabinets and pulling off the counters. Will you be able to help me bring them to Habitat?”

  “I’ll get the big van and we can take yours and these at the same time.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to go with you when you guys picked out the cabinets, but this case is eating up all my spare time.”

  “Not to worry. I brought samples. I was going to call you over later anyway so you could help Carl and Rose decide.”

  “I came over because I’m hungry and looking for someone to share a pizza with me.”

  “I’m in. Let’s see if we need one or two.”

  Mike went into the living room and checked with Carl and Rose who said they would be glad to pick it up if Mike ordered it.

  A half hour later they were all seated in the living room eating and talking. Carl asked Mike how the case was coming. Mike told him what he could about the new murder and the fact they weren’t making much headway in finding out how this killer was identifying his victims.

  Rose took a delicate bite of her extra cheese piece and they all got a kick out of how she tried to break the cheese string without getting anything on her chin. She gave up the fight and went into the kitchen to get a knife and fork. All three men harassed her for being so whimpy.

  “I’ll be whimpy if I want. It’s just the first couple of bites that are the messiest and getting tomato sauce out of clothes is almost impossible. I’ll drop the knife and fork when I get closer to the crust.”

  They all laughed and Joe asked the Websters how they enjoyed their time in Florida.

  “It was great because we never had to worry about snow”, Carl said. “But, it just wasn’t Lancaster. No family to visit. No old friends to beat at pinochle. No Tuesdays at Roots. I’m not a stick in the mud, but it will take a couple of years for Florida to feel like a home away from home.”

  “Carl, you know you had a good time down there. We met some nice people and you’re just upset because they can beat you at pinochle.”

  “Now Rose, that’s not true. I think it’s because we bought in an area where there are no young families. We tried the over 55 development, and I’m not sure it’s for us. I’m going to get in touch with some realtors and see if we can find something closer to Orlando. Maybe something closer to Disney will be a better fit for us.”

  “I like the way you think, Carl. I didn’t know how to tell you I wanted to find a different location for the same reason.”

  Joe and Mike smiled at each other as the long married twosome solved what might have been a major problem for a different couple.

  “It didn’t take you both long to make a major decision,” Mike said.

  “He should have known pinochle and a few dinners out wouldn’t satisfy me for four months.

  “You know the other thing I missed while we were gone?”

  Mike shook his head and said, “No, what did you miss, Rose?”

  “Believe it or not, the newspaper.”

  “The papers in Florida don’t have puzzles?” Mike kidded because he knew Rose did most of the puzzles in the morning paper. She challenged herself to complete the nine puzzles she worked on each day in an hour or less. She claimed it was exercise for her brain and kept her sharp.

  “Well, they don’t have as many puzzles as our paper has, but they also don’t have much news. Because there are so many old people, the obits are huge each day. They have very little national news and the local news consists of mostly fluff pieces.

  “Besides, they don’t have one of my favorite parts of the paper.”

  “What’s that?” asked Joe.

  “The police log.”

  Mike almost choked on the piece o
f pizza he was about to swallow. “The police log, Rose?”

  “Yes. I like to keep up with what’s happening in the county. It reminds me we need to be watchful so we don’t become a victim.”

  Mike couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Why hadn’t they thought about the police log? He needed to get home and do some research. His weekend of kitchen destruction was quickly forgotten as his excitement built. He jumped up from the sofa and went over and hugged and kissed Rose. “You are the most brilliant person I know. I love you, Rose. I’ll see you all later.”

  Everyone looked at Mike like he had grown another head as he raced through the front door.

  Rose smiled at Carl with a twinkle in her eye and said, “I told you I was brilliant.”

  Carl smiled back. “I always knew it. Now can you tell us why Mike thinks you are so brilliant?”

  Rose shook her head and said, “Haven’t got a clue.”

  Joe recognized Mike’s “aha” moment. He finished his slice of pizza and told the Websters, “I’m getting back to work. We won’t be seeing any more of Mike today.”

  CHAPTER 57

  The first stop Mike made when he got home was the corner of the garage where he kept his growing pile of daily papers. Since he hadn’t been home much in the last month, he hadn’t generated many soda, beer or water bottles to be recycled. His papers went on the top of the recyclables, so they tended to build up when he didn’t put out the green recycle container.